


Changed Gods

by dactyliin (Volant)



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bigotry & Prejudice, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Dubious Science, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Contact, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Minor Character Death, Pre-Reform Vulcan, Slow Burn, War, Xenophobia, character list will be updated, like incredibly slow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25886320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Volant/pseuds/dactyliin
Summary: When Spock is asked to venture out into the badlands of war-torn Vulcan in order to investigate a mysterious falling star, he never expects to find a human man in the wreckage. Both facing improbable odds - Spock, on his search for a way to save his people; and Jim, for a way to escape the desert planet he never meant to land on - they forge an alliance. But as they learn more about each other, the odds they face, and the feelings they harbor, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems.
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock
Comments: 10
Kudos: 55





	1. More

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back, baby! This is a story I've been wanting to write for a while. Working on it has been a lot of fun, and it's definitely helped pull me out of a bit of a writing rough patch.
> 
> Just a couple things before we move on: this is essentially my take on what it might have been like to live on pre-reform Vulcan during one of the several wars fought before Surak came on the scene. In my version of this timeline, Vulcan has developed to a point technologically similar to our 1970s, but with a few changes that will be addressed in the story. They have satellite technology, as well as a form of radio communication, radar, some scientific equipment (of course) and, because this is set during one of the wars, there will be some descriptions and use of weapons, some of which can cause large-scale destruction. I'm going to try to do as much research as I can to flesh out the world, but it's looking like I'll have to do a lot of work to fill in the blanks, so please keep that in mind if I get a detail wrong here and there. I want to focus on plot and character study right now, and to do so within the setting I've chosen in a way that respectfully captures the characters of Jim and Spock as they are in TOS. So when I say this is going to be a slow burn...I mean it. At its heart, this is a story about two very different men trying to help one another in the midst of their own struggles. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm loving the writing. Thanks so much for reading! As always, kudos and especially comments are much appreciated!

It was a clear night, scant miles from the ruins that had once been Shi-Khar. Spock knelt in the sand beneath the dark expanse of sky and broke several twigs away from a wild kal’ta bush, secreting them away in one pocket of his pack. Biological matter was rare – and becoming more so – in this area, and Spock felt an unusual need to investigate the change. Following the attack on Shi-Khar and its subsequent abandonment several years ago, it came as no shock that a certain degree of environmental upheaval would take place. However, on such a large scale... 

Spock found it concerning, though his grandmother and T’Pring insisted there was no time for a true investigation. They had much more pressing matters with which to concern themselves: the acquisition of food and water, preparation for future encounters with other clans, and the preservation of the Vulcan way. These were the objectives of S’Chn-T’Gai, and those who had allied themselves with the clan. 

He pulled the drawstring on his pack tight again, shouldered it, and stood. In the valley before him, Spock could see no sign of movement. It was, he hypothesized, probably safe to return to his place of residence. 

Spock had been away for several days, a lone scout assessing the possibility of accessing a nearby vault known to contain a radio – one which might have escaped initial damage, and which T’Pau and the other Elders could use to make contact with other groups nearby. It had been their family’s practice to maintain a private residence in the mountains near Shi-Khar, to which they would retreat in situations such as this one. Though Spock remembered a peaceful childhood, he understood now that Vulcan never remained so for long, and likely never would. 

Ipik-Shi – the hidden place – was at the center of a maze of stone canyons, and not ones that Spock anticipated navigating during the night. Spock was capable, of that he had no doubt, but the canyons had historically been taken advantage of by marauders and thieves. Even this would not have been a concern for Spock, had he not used his ahn’woon to escape the attack of several Le-Matya precisely one-point-three days past. Spock had forsaken his weapon but proceeded on his journey without injury. He did not often pray to his family’s gods but supposed this might warrant a visit to the public shrine. 

Spock decided that reaching the safety of Ipik-Shi was preferable to another night sleeping in the open. He slid swiftly down a sandy incline, to the large boulders at the mountain’s base. It would be several hours before he was able to navigate them and proceed more quickly in open space. It would be approximately another seven before he reached true safety in the small hours of the morning. 

In all likelihood, Spock reflected, his mother would insist on inspecting his injuries herself. Though a stranger to their ways, Amanda had adapted well to their desert planet and in time become a respected healer, problem-solver, and occasional diplomat. This was a source of some pride for Spock, though he preferred tending to his own wounds rather than yielding up to the intense emotional buzz that came with Amanda’s physical touch. He suspected that she would cry upon seeing the gash on his right forearm, which was always an extremely uncomfortable experience. 

Spock climbed over a boulder and dropped onto the one that held it up. He wondered how long he would be obligated to remain in Ipik-Shi before undertaking another assignment. While sharing in the safety provided by numbers was a welcome rest, there was a certain difficulty in remaining there for more than a few weeks. No true reason, of course, but an internal sense that urged Spock to live, even for a short time, in the open of his battered world. 

X

“Sa’fu T’Sarek!” 

In retrospect, Spock need not have worried about traversing the canyons. He had just entered the mouth of the canyon when he heard his name called. 

“Na’shaya, Kan T’Sayya,” Spock greeted the leader of the trio that approached him with a raised hand in the traditional ozh’esta. “I did not expect to encounter another party – are you returning to Ipik-Shi?” 

“Of course,” the leader – T'Alor, Spock thought her personal name was – said. She offered a minute smile, indicating her pleasure at their meeting. “We received news that a camp had been discovered nearby and were sent to investigate.” 

Spock glanced at T’Alor’s two companions. He recognized one as T’Pring’s close acquaintance, Stonn. The other he knew only by appearance. Neither party looked pleased at T’Alor’s statement. 

“The camp had moved on?” he guessed. 

“Attacked,” T’Alor explained. “Sh’Dvelan war party, it seems. We were unable to confirm that there were any survivors who were not captured.” 

She and the other two men placed their hands over their hearts. 

“I grieve with thee,” Spock said. 

“We will avenge them,” Stonn said. 

“We will not,” T’Alor snapped, not looking at him. “We will discuss this incident with T’Pau and take her council.” 

“And where have you been?” the third member of T’Alor’s party asked Spock, interrupting what would seem to be an old argument. Spock touched the strap of his pack with one hand. 

“North, almost to Shi-Khar,” he said. “For a communications array.” 

This drew interested sounds from the trio, but T’Alor insisted that he relate his recent travels while they moved forward. Spock agreed – if the Sh’Dvelan were near, then the sooner they could be under the relative protection of the stones the better. 

Spock related to them the majority of his journey, his personal detours aside. T’Alor was disappointed that he had not been able to retrieve the radio himself, but all were pleased at his report that there was one vault near Shi-Khar that had not been breached by the desperate or the warring. 

“Perhaps there will be records,” the third member of the party, a young boy whose name Spock discovered to be Stomek. 

“Perhaps,” Spock said, though he doubted that. There was a good deal of documentation data – personal histories, collections of music, art – that had been lost in the intervening years since Shi-Khar's loss. 

“Stomek is a collector,” T’Alor said. Spock turned his head to look at her, and found her looking in turn at the boy with a warmth in her eyes. Could they be relatives? Siblings? If so, Spock thought, they were lucky. “He would have been accepted to the academy, but now...” 

“I am certain that Stomek will gain a satisfactory education with the master of his choice,” Spock assured her. “There are many in Ipik-Shi who seek to pass on their knowledge.” 

“I would like to be a scholar,” Stomek said. “The written word has always appealed to me.” 

“In what subjects?” Spock inquired. He found children as young as Stomek - fifteen cycles, T’Alor had said - was a bit of a curiosity, particularly in the amount of enthusiasm they seemed able to generate. 

“Spock chose to study biology,” T’Alor told Stomek. “When the academy was still...accepting applicants.” 

“I enjoy historical documents,” Stomek said. “Particularly -” here, he paused and stumbled over his words. 

“Poetry,” T’Alor supplied. “From the ancient warriors, especially what was written in Gol.” 

“Krei!” Stomek hissed. That explained it – they were cousins. It also assuaged Spock’s questions about why such a young boy had been allowed to join an expedition outside of Ipik-Shi. T’Alor must have asked to bring him. 

“Though my interests are more in the scientific, I often enjoy reading as a recreational pursuit,” Spock said. “My mother keeps her own collection of poetry, both recovered texts and ones that she has written from memory. You may visit my home to study them, if you desire.” 

“The human woman?” Stomek said. T’Alor gasped. “May I?” 

“Her name is Amanda,” Spock said over T’Alor’s apology for her cousin’s lack of decorum. “And I believe she would be very pleased to make your acquaintance.” 

Though many Vulcans thought it in bad taste to address Spock’s unusual parentage, he found Stomek’s obvious lack of prejudice – but, rather, curiosity – a welcome change. However, Spock did not dismiss the low hiss of displeasure that came from Stonn. The tall Vulcan man had fallen silent after his earlier disagreement with T’Alor, and this was the first word he had spoken since. It was not a kind one. 

Spock continued forward. He had learned many years ago that there were some battles that he could not win.


	2. Curiosity

While  Ipik -Shi was secure, and therefore a desirable place of residence, its location deep within the mountains also offered one a sense of enclosure. Centuries ago, the ancestors of the  S’Chn T’Gai clan had built it. They had carved their sanctuary from red stone at the bottom of a riverbed that had once run so swiftly and for so long that the water had carved a natural path fathoms deep in the earth, millennia before anyone had thought to use it as a place of refuge. 

As a child, during Spock’s first visit to the hidden place, his mother had told him tales of her own home, where a good deal of water was readily available. She had recounted her own childhood, and a vacation spent on a beach – a sanded area which bordered a large body of water, in which many people swam, hunted for aquatic animals, or participated in aquatic sports. The idea of such a place had captured Spock’s imagination. While Vulcan was known to possess many subterranean lakes and rivers, water was considered a precious commodity, and one which was guarded closely by those with the means to extract it from the earth. Positioned near one such source,  Ipik -Shi had been built for camouflage. 

Soon after their entrance into the canyon, Stonn and  T’Alor forged ahead, ostensibly to ensure that the way was safe. However, from their posture and hushed tones, Spock was able to infer that a discussion was taking place over a topic which pleased neither of them. Stomek, seemingly unaware of this, kept up a lively one-sided conversation with Spock, during which he recounted some of his favorite poems, recited some of his own original poetry which he had written for his betrothed, and inquired about Spock’s experiences as a student of the Vulcan Science Academy. Spock felt a sense of relief. He was not a gifted conversationalist and those, at least, were simple questions to answer.

He allowed his attention to  wander from  Stomek , allowed his gaze to monitor the increasingly distant river of pale, cloudless sky for any sign of movement, any shadow that was not a natural one. His encounter with the group of Le Matya – three, all juveniles, all showing typical signs of long-term starvation – and the lack of living vegetation elsewhere were two symptoms to what Spock felt was a more wide-spread problem. When Shi-Khar was attacked, the weapons used had been atomic, and any radiation damage ought to have faded more than three years ago. There had been promising signs then, that the surrounding valley was beginning to recover. What, then, was the cause of this regression?

He would have to conduct a more extensive study, one that was more long term. Perhaps if he discussed his hypothesis with-

“Spock?”  T’Alor’s voice interrupted his train of thought, and  Stomek’s steady stream of conversation. Spock lowered his gaze to find that both  T’Alor and Stonn had reappeared from around a sharp bend in the canyon.

“Yes,” Spock replied. 

“Come,”  T’Alor said. The warmth in her voice had gone, and she beckoned Spock to join her with an  urgency that matched the tension in her  faace . Spock moved quickly, past  T’Alor and around the bend in the canyon. 

“Do you know what it is?”  T’Alor asked. 

“I do not,” Spock replied. He knelt to inspect what appeared to be a dark-colored form of algae or mold, which spread from the canyon floor, upward along the eastern stone wall and away from he and his companions in a pattern not unlike veins. 

“This was not here when we left,” T’Alor said. 

“Indeed,” Spock said. He fished from his pocket one of the sample bags that he often used to store more delicate specimens. Carefully, and without making physical contact with the unidentified matter, Spock selected a hardened piece of sand that contained several groupings of the algae. Once it was secured, he placed the bag back in the pocket from whence it had come.

“Fascinating,” he said,  more so to himself than to the others. 

“It is not,” Stonn said. Spock realized that he had been standing by the opposite wall, well-distanced from the algae. Or perhaps a form of polyp?  Obviously, it did not require a particularly damp environment in which to thrive, though the sandstone cliffs were known to be relatively porous and may contain an excess of mineral-rich liquid, which in turn – 

“Spock,”  T’Alor said. “Is it dangerous?”

“Unfortunately, I can neither prove nor disprove that hypothesis,” Spock said. “That is, not without further study.”

“Then we should move on,”  T’Alor said decisively. “We are only a short distance away.”

“Yes,” Spock agreed. “We should.”

The entrance to Ipik-Shi had been built in such a way that, unless one paid close attention, would not be immediately visible to the naked eye. At a place where the canyon narrowed and gave way to the mountainside, a series of natural stone pillars grew from the earth in clusters. It was behind one such grouping that a slot canyon had formed. It was by this canyon, and no other, that one was able to gain access to Ipik-Shi: the hidden city carved from stone, that lay on the bed of an ancient, empty lake – invisible to all. 

X

“I don’t know why you insist on taking these – these risks,” Amanda Grayson muttered over one of Spock’s more serious lacerations. Contrary to Spock’s expectations, Amanda had not wept when she learned of Spock’s encounter with the Le-Matya. Instead, he had been treated to a rare outburst of his mother’s anger.

“Oh, don’t start,” Amanda snapped before Spock had formed his explanation in its entirety. “I’ve heard it all before. Between you and your father, it’s enough trouble to keep me busy for decades.”

“Has Sarek been injured?” Spock inquired. Though he and his father seldom agreed on any direct point of discussion, Spock did still feel a. .. familial obligation.

“No,” Amanda said. She swept a cloth dampened with a  disinfectant over Spock’s wounds. “It’s his blood pressure, up again. I keep telling him, what he needs is a break. A real one, not just a day here or there.”

“Mother,” Spock said. “There is -”

“A war,” Amanda said. She stood to adjust the light that illuminated the wounds on Spock’s side. On her own world, she had spent some time working as a medical professional. She often spent time tending to various ailments in the designated hospital near the center of Ipik-Shi. “I’m  well aware . But even the most dedicated  soldiers can lose their edge if they aren’t given a good rest  once in a while .”

“Was the metaphor necessary?” Spock said. He was certain that his mother used such verbal devices on purpose.

“Mixed metaphor, I think,” Amanda said. There was a hint of an a very non-Vulcan smile  beginning around her mouth. “Since your father isn’t a soldier.”

“I imagine politicians are much the same,” Spock said. 

“You should stay with us,” Amanda said suddenly, in English rather than Vuhlkansu. “Just for the night. We’ll have dinner.”

“No, thank you,” Spock said in English as well. “I must report to  T’Pau and then I have my own matters to attend to.”

Amanda sighed – an expression of her human disappointment. At least, Spock reflected, her anger was beginning to wane. Though never as fierce as the anger felt by Vulcans, Amanda had never learned to properly shield her mind. 

“If you have to,” Amanda said. 

“I do,” Spock said, reverting to his first language. “Thank you for tending to my wounds.”

“Always,” Amanda said. She brushed her hands over Spock’s shoulders and waved him out of the room.

The Elders were indisposed – possibly occupied with  T’Alor , Stonn, and  Stomek’s worrying report – and so Spock proceeded to his living quarters. He had been one of the last to request a permanent living space, and so had been designated a two-room unit on the top floor of a building that was largely used to grow and process food by way of a hydroponic system. This was what Amanda would have called a “happy coincidence” as it also provided him with access to the laboratory in the same building. While the  laaboratory was most often used to ensure the  heaalth of various plants and to genetically modify some others in the effort to produce greater crop yield, Spock had also been given permission to use the devices for his own pursuits, futile though  T’Pau believed them to be.

The Hydroponics facility was, for many reasons, kept somewhat distant from the rest of the buildings. Spock walked on, following the demarcated path that led down the slope to the large stone building. Dawn was beginning to color the atmosphere, the combination of purple and orange streaking across the sky.  And then – a sound, a low pop of noise not unlike an explosion. Spock paused for a  moment, and looked skyward. A dust cloud, just north of Spock’s location...and then a bright flash, arching through the sky. 

An asteroid? Spock wondered, following the object’s irregular pattern of travel. Or perhaps a comet – even a satellite, one of the few sent into orbit before this latest war began and all efforts were funneled into more violent  creations .

He watched the brilliant object make its way across the sky in a matter of seconds, before disappearing over the lip of the valley of Ipik-Shi. It would land miles away. 

But if it  _ were  _ a satellite, Spock surmised, there could be usable wiring, maybe even an automatic switchboard that could be used in their efforts to establish communication with other hidden  settlements along the Shi-Khar border. 

He would discuss this matter with  T’Pau later in the day. But just then, Spock had a far more intriguing study to conduct. He thought of the branch in his bag, and the suspicious form of algae – or mold, or polyps –  T'Alor had discovered along the way. 

If he moved quickly, there was the possibility of claiming an empty workstation for his own.

X

Spock’s study of the wild  kal’ta bush was interrupted several hours later by a disgruntled  messenger , sent by the Elders to request his presence in  their offices.

“Immediately,” the messenger finished,  stonefaced .

“I must  complete a record of my research,” Spock said. 

“If you must,” the messenger said, and waited by the entrance for Spock to do so on the small notebook reserved for his personal studies. He followed Spock on the short walk back to Ipik-Shi, and needlessly provided verbal direction to the Elders’ building. It was one of the tallest, with three  levels , and carved directly into the stone, with a large façade built out from the cliff to provide the appearance of a building – of walls, windows, and a roof – when in fact there were none. Only the natural stone and enlarged cave tunnels inside.

T’Pau met them at the entrance.

“Ko- Mekh -il,” Spock greeted her, with a raised hand. 

“Spock,”  T’Pau said, as she always did. There was no Vulcan greeting for one’s grandson, but Spock doubted she would have used it if there were. “With me.” She led Spock through a  dimly lit hallway and into the cool meeting room that was often reserved for guests. There were three other Elders present. Sarek was not among them.

“Sit,”  T’Pau instructed. She joined  the other members of her council and sat with them opposite Spock. There was a stone table between them, polished and smooth. 

“I returned today from the assignment I was given to  discover and inspect the vault near Shi-Khar,” Spock began.

T’Pau held up  her hand, stopping him. 

“A more pressing matter has come to our attention,” she said. “Perhaps you witnessed the entrance of an unknown object into our planet's atmosphere  early this morning.”

It was not a question, but a statement. As matriarch of the  S’Chn-T’Gai clan,  T’Pau was allowed to lead with absolute certainty. Spock nodded. 

“Astronomer  T’Lemak was able to obtain some readings on the object,”  T’Pau said. “It appears to be a  large object and, based on its speed and trajectory, one not of our planet. It did not fragment upon impact with our atmosphere.  T’Lemak and her team believe that there may be valuable material contained in this object.”

“An asteroid?” Spock inquired.

“No,” T’Pau said. She glanced at another council member, whose name escaped Spock. He cleared his throat.

“You have been a valuable resource,” the Elder said. “We would like you to find the location of this object and discover whether or not there is anything of  value \-  anything worth studying, anything of use – to us there. If so, return with it.”

“With the object?” Spock said, raising  an eyebrow. 

“No,”  T’Pau siad . “With whatever is within it.”

“We believe it could be a weapon, or a communications device,” the  Elder said. “Both of which we are in need of.”

“ Elders ,” Spock said. “I believe the vault near Shi-Khar offers the best chance of undamaged communication systems.”

“Which we will further discuss,”  T’Pau said. “However, this development requires precision and swiftness. Others will have seen the  object and will be seeking it. We must obtain it before the others. It is of paramount importance. Are you willing?”

T’Pau only asked a question when she knew the answer.

“Yes,” Spock said.

“It is good,”  T’Pau said. “You will  be provided with a weapon and supplies.”

“You will travel alone,” a second Elder spoke. “And, thus, at a heightened pace.”

This was not customary – as a scout, Spock expected to travel alone. But as one charged with the retrieval of a potentially valuable prize, one which lay in enemy territory, it was expected that Spock travel with a team of two others, as  T’Alor had. In case of a violent encounter, or simply disaster, one member of the party was more likely to survive and relay information to the Elders.

It was dangerous for such an important mission, and an obvious breach of predetermined protocols. But when direction was given by the Elders, there was  nearly no recourse but to do as they said.

“I will go,” Spock said, and stood.

T’Pau stood with him and raised her hand.

“Live long,” she said. “And prosper.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Chapter Two! Sorry for the wait - I've been moving into a new apartment and starting grad school, so life's been pretty crazy. But I had a little free time today and decided I'd get this chapter up. Thanks so much for all the kudos and your comments! I love hearing from readers, and since I'm using this story to get back into writing as a hobby, any feedback is good to hear. 
> 
> Chapter Three will probably be up sometime next week. Thanks all!


	3. Chapter 3

Jim wasn’t sure how long he’d been there – still strapped into the flight deck of the prototype cruiser, but no longer experiencing the weightless thrill of antigravity. When he’d first woken up, almost an hour ago, it had taken him a moment to orient himself. To note the jagged tear in the hull, and through it the scorched sand and smoldering debris yards below his feet. 

At first, he’d tried to call for his copilot, but Riley hadn’t answered. Then, Jim had tried to reach the emergency kit stashed under the dashboard, but that was too far away. Which, he reflected, might have been a good thing after all. If, somehow, Jim had opened the kit and retrieved something to cut himself out of his harness, he would have fallen all that way down. He might not have been able to get back into the cruiser. He might not have had any protection from whatever was out there on wherever it was that they were. 

There were other problems, too. Jim’s right arm wasn’t working quite right – he couldn’t lift it, and the way it felt when he moved his fingers made him gasp for air. There was a liquid, hot and sticky, dripping into his eyes and preventing him from seeing clearly. It smelled like engine fuel.

And Riley wasn’t answering.

Jim tried to think back. What had happened? It was supposed to be a test run of a new engine for commercial vessels, an eight-hour jaunt from Mars and back,  slingshotting around the dwarf planet Eris, just on the edge of the solar system. 

“It’s tricky,”  Riley’d said a year ago, sitting in the pale kitchen of Jim’s beige-flavored apartment. “This is new stuff they’re experimenting with, there’s no engine like her. If I’m making this trip, I’m going to go with someone I trust to have my back. And that’s you, Jimmy.”

Jim shouldn’t have said yes. He knew it, Pike knew it, everyone on the world knew it. 

But it had been so goddamn long since he was out there, with the stars. 

When the engine had turned over, though. When Riley initiated the acceleration sequence, something odd had happened. Jim and Riley had watched the black tapestry of the universe blur and stretch like saltwater taffy through the viewscreen. Their comms had gone out almost immediately, and navigation had followed soon after that – not fritzing out, exactly, but obviously not showing the correct coordinates. By its account, they’d blown past Eris in the first half hour of flight. 

The deceleration levers had locked, and pulling the plug on the engine – tied, necessarily, to their life support, was not an option. A panicked Riley had spent the first eight hours of their flight trying to either establish radio contact or hack into the ship’s mainframe in order to reboot root system functionality.

Jim had tried to fly. It wasn’t exactly difficult –  _ Nova  _ was a  state-of-the-art ship, equipped with so many sensors and automatic redundancies that he barely had to do anything. He could see from the nav screen that  _ Nova  _ was still following a course. There was a dotted line mapping out their predetermined path, disappearing  off the screen. 

At least, Jim had told himself, they wouldn’t run out of food. That was a point of necessity for both he and Riley, and the one request the Fleet hadn’t tried to fight them on.

Eventually, mostly satisfied that the ship wasn’t going to explode, Jim had left the cockpit and pulled Riley away from the console in the narrow Engineering compartment. Jim had doled out food and water packets to he and Riley both. Riley had made some wisecrack about this being  _ just like old times _ and Jim had looked the kid up and down. 

“No,” he’d said. “It isn’t. I won’t let it be.”

Jim and Riley had slept in their chairs in the cockpit, taking turns monitoring their progress, the comms unit, the engine’s vitals. Jim kept startling awake to flares of light in the viewscreen that he thought could have been stars, or planets. Large bodies of mass.

He was certain, then, that they were a long way from home.

It had been one hundred and thirty-nine hours before the engine sputtered, and died, and they were pulled out of whatever speed run it had been executing. By then, Jim had done his calculations and estimated that they were achieving one lightyear of distance per 8.75 hours. All told, they’d gone an estimated distance of 16 lightyears. 

“Well, Kev,” Jim had said in the dim, red light that indicated an overall system failure. Over the last five days, he’d fallen back into that childhood habit of calling Riley by  his given name. “I think we broke another record.”

And then it had been another hour of watching the awful specter of an unfamiliar planet loom, making baseless guesses about their location and distracting one another from the inevitable, before they hit the atmosphere and Jim had blacked out.

Jim stared down, at the golden puffs of sand blowing over the scorch marks left by  _ Nova’s  _ impact. It was hot, he realized. So much so that he could feel cool sweat dripping down his nose, his neck, his back. While the air was breathable, he felt almost like he had two summers ago, when he’d hiked the Grand Teton – head swimming, and vaguely nauseated.

Thin air, Jim thought. It was probable that they were at a high elevation as well, though the heat made that hard for Jim to make himself believe. 

Jim closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, expanding his lungs as much as he could. He allowed himself one minute to be overwhelmed with longing for the low, golden fields of Riverside. And then he kicked out against the dashboard and pushed.

X

There were few motorized vehicles available for use in Ipik-Shi, but Spock had been allotted one of them. It was unsurprisingly solar powered and built in a manner that Amanda often referred to as being “sleigh-like”, with three runners which would allow the vehicle to glide smoothly over sand, an open top, and a sizeable storage compartment in its undercarriage. The vehicle was dun-colored and matte so that it would not stand out more than was necessary. 

Spock disliked it. Though he recognized that in this case, speed and stealth were to be valued above all, it was his preference to travel by foot. There was a certain danger to traveling in other ways – for example, an electromagnetic pulse or well-timed projectile could render the engine unusable, one of the runners could hit submerged rock and break in two, or the pace of the vehicle could make it easily noticeable by unwanted parties, and therefore a target.

It was for this purpose that Spock now carried with him several weapons and a prudent selection of food and water. There was a blade - about the length of his hand, double-bladed with no serration – that pressed against Spock’s calf, held by the cuff of his boot; an  ahn’woon which, while not of the quality that Spock’s previous weapon had been, would serve its purpose. And there was a rifle, another rarity, but not one that Spock intended to utilize. 

Spock departed swiftly, exiting Ipik-Shi by the same path by which he had arrived. Among the S’Chn T’Gai, there was no traditional sending off, as there might have been in other clans. It was likely that Amanda would not be aware of his departure until Sarek chose to divulge this information to her, perhaps later in the day. 

“We do what we must for the sake of the clan.”

This had, in Spock’s mind, always been a familiar saying in the house of Sarek. He recalled an incident many years ago, an argument – he had mentioned over one of Amanda’s experimental meals that he was considering rejecting his acceptance into the Vulcan Science Academy. To do what, he did not know, but at the time Spock’s juvenile desire to – for lack of a more accurate term – escape, had all but overcome him. Sarek’s response had been firm. Spock would attend the academy, he said, because he had been given an opportunity to do so. The S’Chn T’Gai did not reject that which would benefit the clan. 

This was true, though – then – Spock had wished the opposite. In time, he would be called back to Ipik-Shi, perhaps permanently, to serve this greater purpose. In time, he would mate with  the T’Pring, the woman the clan had selected for him.  In time, he would fight for the clan. Kill for them. Breathe for them.

_ Kaiidth _ _. _

Spock would not allow those things which he did not control to affect his mental state. He placed the feeling away from himself, deep within his mind where other difficult thoughts and memories– the day of the attack on  ShiKahr , the childhood words of his peers, the loss of his brother – were kept. He centered himself and forced his attention outward. It was late in the day, and visibility was poor. The sun, and its two accompanying stars, hung low in the sky. While this meant that Spock would have to be on alert for obstacles, it was beneficial in that other parties would have difficulty in discerning his movement from the surrounding terrain. He had exited the winding canyon several minutes  ago and was now skirting the foothills of the mountains. The mysterious object had fallen in the opposite direction of  ShiKhar , toward an empty tract of desert that was claimed by no  clan in particular .

By Spock’s estimation, it would be several days before he was able to reach the impact site. Not knowing the mass, speed, or composition of the object itself, he had been unable to calculate a more exact location, and the council had only been able to determine that there had been a relatively successful landing that had not extended into or over the Kin-Tha  province and had not resulted in visible geological disturbances.

And they believed it to be of an alien origin. There was a possibility that it was  similar to the ship that had brought Amanda to Vulcan so many years ago – though the odds of that were not particularly encouraging.

Instead, it was more likely to be a satellite – perhaps even one of Vulcan’s own, from the period of unprecedented growth the scientific and technological organizations had seen in the years prior to the war - or an actual asteroid. There was even a possibility of its being a new and previously unknown type of missile, undetonated for a variety of reasons. 

Any of these would be beneficial to possess. From an asteroid, metal might be extracted and used. From a satellite, usable technology might be salvaged. And from a missile, any sorts of effective weaponry or tools might be fashioned. 

He considered this as he traveled, until it grew dark. There were many stars visible in the sky. Spock tracked the one called Lesh-yel. It was nearly stationary and used by travelers as a guide during this season. By Spock’s estimation, the star’s visual location was approximately in the direction of the object he sought. He would, of course, be unable to approach directly. The desert was not empty, nor was its terrain easily navigated. Spock had already spotted the light of at least one fire burning on an adjacent hillside – not a particular cause for concern. Anyone who would light a fire at night when it could be easily seen was, in Spock’s opinion, not likely to serve as an adequate threat to his mission.

It was not until the following sunrise that Spock sought out shelter. He had stayed near the foothills of the mountain range during the night, and was able to find the remnants of an ancient aqueduct, large pieces of pillar and rusted machinery, that would sufficiently shield his position from prying eyes, until the heat of the day required most potential threats to seek shelter. He concealed himself and the sleigh in the shade, with his back against solid stone, and rested his rifle across his knees. It was not yet imperative that Spock rest, and so he would not. 

He waited instead for the sun to rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is still pretty crazy, but here's another chapter! The next update probably won't be up for a month or so, maybe a little longer, until my school goes online and my class load lightens up a little!


End file.
